The present invention relates generally to athletic training and exercise equipment and, more specifically, to a resistance training device for improving the swing of a golfer, baseball player, and athletes engaged in similar sports.
Athletic training equipment is often tailored to suit the needs of athletes engaged in specific sports. For example, machines that simulate cross-country skiing and rowing are available. In addition to providing aerobic exercise and improving cardiovascular fitness, these devices strengthen muscles by providing resistance against which the muscles must work. However, rather than being generalized resistance training machines, these machines target specific muscle groups involved in performing the repetitive motion by providing resistance peculiar to a particular motion. Such devices allow the athlete to train under controlled conditions that closely approximate the actual sport. Under these controlled conditions, the athlete may focus on improving a particular aspect of the repetitive motion involved in the sport in addition to increasing his endurance and strength.
Although specialized training equipment exists for many sports, there is a need for a device that provides resistance against the "swing" motion of a golfer or baseball batter. The motion involved in swinging a club or bat is more complex than that involved in rowing, skiing, cycling, and similar sports. A training device that in any way inhibits the graceful arch of a golfer's swing would defeat its own purpose. A training device for swing motion must allow full unrestricted movement in all directions.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,809,397 issued to Gruenewald describes a swing motion device that uses air resistance. The device has a plurality of flat vanes fixedly mounted on a hollow shaft. The use of air resistance rather than a more complex mechanical system allows unrestricted motion and is economical of manufacture. However, the large vanes extending from such a device inhibit convenient transport and storage. A swing motion training device having folding vanes would be compact, portable, and economical of manufacture. These problems and deficiencies are clearly felt in the art and are solved by the present invention in the manner described below.